1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of recorded media authentication systems.
2. Background Art
The reductions in cost and improvements in the quality of recorded media reproduction systems have created a need for a system to protect against counterfeiting of recorded media. Analog recordings are typically manufactured using a high quality master recording and expensive recording equipment to produce quality authorized recordings for distribution. This is applicable to phonograph records and is also true of cassettes. Thus typically the recording quality of a counterfeit copy of a distributed analog recorded media is lower in quality than an authorized analog recording.
This situation changed with the advent of digital recording and playback technology. A digital copy of a digital recording duplicates the recorded information in the original. Therefore counterfeiters can make counterfeit digital copies of distributed recorded media with little or no loss of recording signal quality.
Because counterfeiters do not compensate the creators of the recorded information, counterfeiters can sell the recorded media for lower prices than authorized recordings. The sales of counterfeit recordings can reduce the sales of authorized recorded media and thereby diminish the ability of creators of work product recorded on media to earn a living from their efforts.
Counterfeit recorded media is often produced without the benefit of the quality control standards employed by authorized manufacturers of recorded media. As a result consumers who purchase recorded media, without knowledge that it is a counterfeit, may be deceived by paying for a recorded media with the expectation of receiving a quality authorized recording and actually receiving an inferior product.
Other than the issue of the typically inferior quality control, the average user of recorded media today has no incentive to report counterfeit recorded media, such as compact discs, and laser discs. Thus an authentic media detection system is required which provides consumers incentives to avoid using counterfeit recorded media, and empowers consumers to detect counterfeit media which will then encourage distributors to ensure that they provide only authorized recorded media.